Double-ended clothespin



@et 30, 1951 w. wlLKs DOUBLE-ENDED CLOTHESPIN Filed Jan. 25, 1949 www Wulf INVENTOR W55;

Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOUBLE-ENDED CLOTHESPIN Walter Wilks, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 25, 1949, Serial No. 72,652

1 Claim. 1

' My invention pertains to clothespins, and more iparticularly to double-ended clothespins.

Clothespins on the market at the present time generally provide a pair of clamping jaws at one end of the clothespin and a pair of operating arms at its opposite end. When a housewife is busily engaged in hanging laundry on a clothesline,'she will be picking a clothespin from a box,

apron, bag or the like, and will generally have one hand engaged in holding the clothes while she feels in the receptacle for a clothespin. If,

from the cluster of clothespins in the receptacle,

she grasps one by the end at which the jaws are located, it is then necessary for her to shift the -pin around, end for end, with one hand, which action of shifting is frequently diilicult and may result in dropping the pin.

It is an object of my invention to provide a clothespin which is formed with a pair of jaws which the clothespin is grasped, it may immediately be employed by using the jaws at the ungripped end.

It is another object of my invention to provide, `ina clothespin of the type described above, -resilient means for holding the clothespin together and for resiliently resisting the spreading vof the jaws, which resilient means does not encumber the sides of the clothespin and does not leave sharp ends of rwires or the like on the exterior surface of the pin.

It is another objectof my invention to provide a clothespin which, while it may be employed from either end, is relatively short, so that less space is required in packaging or storing the pins.

It is another object of my invention to provide a sturdy, double-ended clothespin, the pairs of jaws of which will be maintained in align-` `ment at all times for correct gripping action.

Other objects, usesand advantages of the invention will become apparent, or be obvious, from the following description, when taken with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, full scale, of

the double-ended clothespin of my inventionr at each end, so that regardless of the end atfn Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, also on enlarged scale, showing a modied form of the invention.

Like reference numerals have been employed in the several views to indicate the same or similar elements.

Referring now to Figures 1 through 4. it will be seen that the clothespin, indicated generally by the reference numeral I0, comprises a pair of body members I2 and I4, each of which has a central, or intermediate, portion I6. Each of the central portions I6 has a flat bearing surface I8, which, in the neutral position of the body members I2 and I4, are in engagement with each other.

Each body member has a jaw 2U at each end, and it will be seen that the facing jaws of each pair of jaws at the ends of the clothespin II! are spaced apart from each other, when the clothespin is in its neutral position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. Each of the jaws 2IJ has a plurality of grooves 22 in the curved face of the jaw, which grooves serve to reduce the frictional surface areas of the jaws which come into contact with the clothes or the line. At that portionA 24 of each jaw which lies inwardly of the grooved portion, the jaw is cut away to provide, along with a similar cut away portion in the facing or intermediate portion I6 of the body member 35v I4 has an integral longitudinally extending projection or tongue 30, which is also arcuate in outline, and is of such dimension that it is received within the recess 28. A passageway 32 in the central portion of the body member I2, and apassageway 34 in the central portion of the body member I4, are in axial alignment, and of substantially the same dimensions, and are adapted to permit the passage therethrough of a rivet, or pin, or other fastening means.

On the outer side of each of the body members I2 and I4 there is formed a channel 38. -The' bottom wall 40 of each channel 38 is substantially flat while the side walls 42 curve upwardly from the jaws 20 at each end of the body member, as may be seen from the drawings. A spring member 46 in the form of an arched leaf spring is disposed in each channel 38, and it will be seen that the side walls 42 are of such height that the side edges 44 of the spring elements 46 and the entire spring element itself lie generally inwardly of the top surface of the side walls 42 of the channels 38. The pin or rivet 36 which passes through and interconnects the body members I2 and III also passes through each of the spring elements 46, and the heads of the rivet or pin 36 lie against the outer surfaces of the spring elements 46. In the preferred form of the invention, the spring elements 46 are under slight compression at all times, thereby tending resiliently to retain the body members I2 and I4 in their neutral position as shown in Figures 1 and 2. However, the length of the pin or rivet 36 and the curvature of the spring elements 46 may be such that the spring elements are only put under compression when one or the other ends of the clothespin are pinched between the site end of the clothespin apart.

When it is desired to employ the clothespin to secure clothes to a clothesline or the like, it is only necessary to compress the jaws at one end of the clothespin I6, whereupon, one body member will be fulcrumed with respect to the other, in the manner indicated, and as shown at 50 in Figure 3, the end of the flat surface I'8 of member I2 fulcruming on the flat surface I8 of the body member I4. As will be seen from Figure 3, by reason of the different distances between the fulcrum point 56 and the two pairs of jaws, the jaws 26 at the right hand end of the clothespin will be spread apart a considerable degree, and it will then be easy to slip the clothespin over the clothes and clothesline in order to secure the clothes on said line, whereupon the gripped end of the clothespin is released, and the spring means 46, which have been compressed, return the two body members to their neutral position, or as near to that position as the material between the jaws will permit. The spring elements 46 are compressed because, while the jaws 26 at one end of the clothespins spread apart, the pin or rivet 36 does not extend in length and maintains the spring elements 46, at said rivet, the same distance apart as previously. The passageways 32 and 34 in the body members I2 and I4, respectively, are of such diameter that even when the body members are cocked at an angle from the neutral position, as shown in Figure 3, there is suiiicient clearance between the outer surface of the rivet and the inner surface of the passageways, so that there' is no interference between said surfaces and no bending of the rivet.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 5, the clothespin lil is the same in al1 respects, except that only one spring element 46 is employed, and that element is in the channel 38 of member I4. Consequently no channel 38 is provided in the body member I2 and in its place solid material remains. While the spring element 46 and channel I6 might be employed in the body member 46 will act between the rivet 36 and the body 6 As will be readily apparent, when-- 5 member I4, and thereby be compressed and seek resiliently to urge the body members I2 and I4 to their neutral position again.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, and one modification thereof, I do not intend to be limited thereto, except in so far as the appended claim is so limited, since various changes or modifications coming Within the scope of my invention will be lsuggested to others by this disclosure.

I claim:

A double-ended clothes pin comprising a pair of body members, each member having a jaw at each end, and the members being in engagement with each other intermediate their ends with the jawsat each end being spaced apart, a longitudinally extending central projection formed integrally with one of said body members, a recess formed centrally in the other of said body members for receiving said projection, said projection and recess being adapted to hold the body members against lateral separation from each other in either neutral or expanded position of the clothes pin, a longitudinally extending channel formed on the outer side of one of said body members, the bottom of said channel being substantially fiat, with each of the side walls of the channel extending outwardly its greatest amount midway between the ends of said body portion and sloping inwardly from the mid-portion toward the two ends of said body member, an outwardly arched leaf spring lying wholly inside of said channel when the clothes pin is in both its neutral position and its expanded position, a passageway passing through the central parts of the two body `members and communicating with said channel,

an aperture through said spring in alignment with said passageway, and a pin connected at one end with one of the body members and extending through the passageway and the other body member and the aperture of said spring, the other end of said Vpin having a head lying outwardly of the spring and inwardly of the outer periphery of said side walls of the channel when the clothes pin is in both its neutral position and its expanded position, said pin and spring connecting the body members together resiliently and permitting limited separation of said body members outwardly away from each other, and said pin preventing separation of said members by relative movement along their respective longitudinal axes.

WALTER WILKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 59,545 Barden Nov. 13, 1866 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 121,341 Australia Apr. 11, 1946 147,015 Germany Dec. 21, 1903 235,030 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1945 549,677 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1942 668,293 Germany Nov. 30, 1938 

